Gary Irvine has revealed he cancelled a planned birthday celebration with his wife following his derby dismissal against Dundee United.
The Dark Blues skipper turned 28 on Sunday and he hoped to mark the occasion by leading his side to victory at Tannadice.
Instead, his big day turned sour when he was red carded after just 20 minutes for clattering into Richie Ryan in an aerial challenge, with referee Bobby Madden adjudging that he led with his elbow.
Irvine then had to watch on helplessly as 10-man Dundee clung on to secure a point and afterwards he decided to put his birthday plans on hold.
He said: “It was my worst nightmare. And the fact it was my birthday as well made it that bit harder to take.
“I just felt terrible, to be honest. I was supposed to be going out with my wife, Louise, for a meal at night but that was cancelled.
“I wasn’t in the mood to do anything because there were all sorts of thoughts running through my head. You look forward to playing in the derby all week, so when you only last 20 minutes, it’s a real downer.
“It was one of those days and I was just glad that in the end the lads were able to pull off a great point.”
Irvine, who apologised to his team-mates after the game for being dismissed, insists there was no intention to harm Ryan.
He said: “There was no malice at all. I’m not that kind of guy as the last thing I would try to do is deliberately lead with my arm against anyone.
“Anyone who sees the incident again will see that my eyes were on the ball at all times. It was obviously my momentum which carried me through a bit but I did feel it was a bit harsh.”
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